Immigrants Make America Great

America’s biggest strength has always been its diversity and openness to diversity. As a result, our economy has grown because of it. In fact, immigrants and children of immigrants have founded more than half of America’s Fortune 500 enterprises. These firms generate trillions of dollars every year for our economy. This, of course, is way more than political rhetoric. The numbers, data and history speaks for itself. Eliminating critical labor shortages, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation and stimulating consumer demand are all outcomes of how immigration enhances the economy and gradually promotes long term stability regarding revenue. 

Critical labor shortages in fields such as health care, technology, construction and agriculture tend to be fulfilled by immigrants. These essential jobs are usually neglected by U.S. nationals most likely due to low wages, physically demanding conditions or the need for highly skilled employees. These gaps that would usually harm an economy are always filled in by the hard working immigrants that stabilize and support the economy' s productivity. The U.S. Bureau of Labor  Statistics estimated in 2023 that immigrants formed approximately 18% of the labor force with the vast majority of them engaging in work areas that had a significant demand. Especially within the industries previously mentioned where they make up about 25% of the workforce. The trend continues to be especially noticeable. Immigrants are vital to the financial health of these businesses. In all likelihood, this is a result of the native born population not willing to contribute their participation or their lack of ability to accomplish the needs of the job. 

According to the American Immigration Council, around 46% of the Fortune 500 Companies, which are the biggest American corporations by revenue, by immigrants or the children of immigrants in 2024. When combined, these “New American” businesses brought in $8.6 trillion within the year 2024, establishing them as a top country economy. Additionally, immigrants are more likely than Americans to establish new companies and are more represented among investors and trademark production; for example, immigrants contributed to the invention of almost 30% of patents in key industries. It not only addresses critical labor shortages, but immigration and economic development are intricately linked. Since immigrants are a major source of leadership, innovation and value creation, which happen to be the very things that drive entrepreneurial creativity and competitive vitality, nearly half of the largest U.S. companies can be traced back to their immigrant founding executives. This statistic highlights a more fundamental reality. 

All in all, immigrants’ perseverance, ingenuity and over all hard labor has always been the foundation of America’s success stories. They construct our homes, gather our nourishment, maintain our hospitals and generate commercial and technological innovation. Nearly one in five Americans today were born in foreign countries. Immigrants are also largely to be held accountable for the recent expansion of our labor force. These are more than simply statistics; they demonstrate how diversity keeps strengthening our communities and economy. We maintain America's strength, competitiveness, and potential for all when we embrace talent and aspiration from around the globe.We need to keep in mind that immigrants are what make America great, especially at a time when their contributions and integrity are being questioned.